Why I Hate my Cousin, by Rose Weasley
by Wateronthebrain
Summary: The reasons why Rose completely resents one of her best friends and closest family members, Lily Potter.


"_Lily Luna, Such a Pretty name. I can't get over it. Lily Luna, Lily Luna…"_

The line played on repeat in Rose Weasley's head as she stormed into her private Head Girl's room. She was doing a final check of the Gryffindor common room before she went to bed, and lo and behold, there was her little cousin Lily, a fifth year, sitting with Rose's longtime crush, Reggie St. Vincent. Reggie was a sixth year with beautiful blonde hair and grey eyes. He was a bit of a bookworm, though, which kept him off of Hogwarts most desired list. Rose really thought she had a chance with him. But the way they were holding hands, and what he just said to Lily, told Rose that her the window of opportunity had been slammed shut by her own flesh and blood.

Rose would always love Lily, because they were cousins and that's what cousins do, but at the moment, she hated her.

Rose was not a particularly pretentious individual. She'd much rather blend in with the crowd then stand out even the tiniest but. However, genetics lost her this battle. She was five foot eleven, towering over every girl, a fair bit of the boys, and practically all of her professors. Her arms and legs were proportionally too long for her torso. She had wild, uncontrollable, frizzy hair the color of a carrot. For a finishing touch, her face was showered with freckles. The only time people stared at her was in shock. However, Lily was a different story. She inherited her grandmother's dark auburn hair, a stick straight shiny waterfall that cascaded down her back. She was five foot two, a bit short, but no one was ever stared at or singled out for being short. She got her father's, Uncle Harry's, dazzling emerald eyes that everyone seemed to love. Rose was stuck with her father's plain old brown. Lily was, without a doubt the prettiest girl in Hogwarts. Rose knew she was the ugliest. She even heard it once, out of a couple a third years twins, the year prior.

"That Potter girl is something." A boy with a Ravenclaw cloak commented.

"Tell me about it!" Responded one with a Slytherin tie.

"You think I'll ever have a chance?" The Ravenclaw asked.

"No." The Slytherin replied flatly. "But you might with her older cousin." He said with a snicker.

"She has a cousin? Another one of that in the school? Who?" The Ravenclaw asked eagerly.

"That Gryffindor sixth year prefect." The Slytherin said with a smirk.

The Ravenclaw thought for a second, and gasped. "You mean the one with the—" He raised his hand all the way above his head to indicate her height. "and the—?" He had his hands far out from his head, to indicate her hair.

"Yep." The Slytherin said.

The Ravenclaw dramatically widened his eyes as a reply, and they both laughed. Rose hadn't been able to listen anymore, and she ran away.

As if her beauty wasn't enough, Lily was, well, everything else. She was an amazing Quidditch player, she'd become a Beater her second year. Rose inherited her mother's inability to be more than five feet off the ground without hyperventilating. She was very smart, but not freakishly like Rose. Rose took every subject Hogwarts has to offer, even divination, and loved them all. Lily wasn't in Ancient Runes or Astronomy, and couldn't manage an Exceeds Expectations in Potions. She groaned and complained about it with the rest of their class. Rose got Exceeds Expectations in everything. Effortlessly. She'd been told all her life how gifted and blessed she was, but she saw her brains as more of a curse.

While doing her sulking, Rose has finished practicing her messenger Patronus (Charms), written an essay on the mistreatment of Giants in the late 1800s to present time (History of Magic), and compared the differences between the internal organs of hippogriffs and normal, non-magical birds. She was putting her things away when there came a knock to her door.

"Hello?" Rose asked as she opened it. Lily stormed in, obviously upset.

"Hi, Rose." Lily said, exasperated. "My mum told me to tell you that your mum is sorry she hasn't replied to your last letter, Pig got lost and just returned home yesterday. They're going to Diagon Alley today to get a new owl to send messages with, but they want to know if you want to keep Pig here at Hogwarts with you, because if not he's going to stay at home just as a pet, he's not fit to send letters anymore."

There was absolutely no emotion in Rose's cousin's voice. "Sure." Rose said, not really caring much about her dad's old school owl screwing up the mail. Lily turned to go straight back out before Rose stopped her. "Lily, wait!"

Lily turned her head, but kept her hand on the doorknob. "What?"

"What's wrong? You're acting strange." Rose replied.

"Oh," Lily said, turning full back in. "Its nothing."

"No, no, what is it?" Rose said, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"Its just…" Lily began. "Do you know Reggie St. Vincent, the sixth year?"

"Yes." Rose replied, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible.

"Well, I kind of had a crush on him. Like major. But it was ridiculous to think anything was going to happen with it." Lily stated with a sad confidence.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked. "It seemed you were getting along quite fine about an hour ago when I was checking the common room."

"Yeah." Lily said with a smirk. "Seemed like it, didn't it? I thought so too. He was so nice… and sweet… he couldn't stop complimenting my name. I actually thought he liked it. But turns out he was using me."

"Using you?" Rose repeated with a gasp. "What for?"

Lily has a small, but genuine smile on her face all of a sudden. "Actually, you're the one that he likes. He asked me to ask you if you're free next Hogsmade weekend."

Rose could not believe her ears. It took her a few moments to accept the fact that she wasn't dreaming, a few more to reply. "Oh." Not very eloquent.

Lily saw the emotions running through her older cousin's face, and put it together. "Rose, you know, now that I think about it, I think he was just being a typical boy. I doubt he meant to use me. I'll be over him by morning. But you, you should think about this offer."

"Lily," Rose said, a smile already on her face. "No, I couldn't, I could never do that to you!"

"I bounce back easily, Rose." Lily persuaded. "You deserve to let your hair down for once."

"That was tasteless, Lil." Rose said picking up a handful of her crazy, ginger 'do. The smile on her face and the bounce in her voice betrayed the actual accusation in her words.

"Then take your revenge on me and go with Reggie. I'm fine with it, I swear." Lily said, turning again and actually leaving this time.

A few months later saw Rose holding hands with Reggie in Hogsmade. Lily looked on, holding hands with her latest guy, what's-his-face. But seeing the laughter between Reggie and Rose, Lily could help the jealousy that came over her.

Lily would always love Rose, because they were cousins and that's what cousins do, but at the moment, she hated her.

(A/N- Thanks for reading! I thought this was a bit interesting, so I decided to share. Originally, I didn't want to end my story like this. I had Reggie a total jerk, and Rose and Lily would just get closer. But I wanted Rose to come out on top, and not really to the demise of her cousin. I also liked the "love/hate" line that I repeated. So, as stories often do, this one wrote itself, the inspiration coming to me just as I was trying to figure out how to word a line where Rose would be like, "Wow, he is a jerk! You're better than him, Lils!" So, end of unnecessary author's note.)


End file.
